This invention relates in general to catalytic combustion apparatus and processes, e.g., stationary source combustors, including gas turbines and industrial boilers, as well as mobile combustors.
Catalytic combustors have previously been provided which incorporate monolith beds. One such prior art combustor is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,928,961 to Pfefferle. In the Pfefferle patent a relatively small cell size monolith bed is incorporated such that both heterogenous and gas-phase reactions are initiated near the bed entrance, but also resulting in blowout at relatively low mass flow rates.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,155,142 to Stack discloses another prior art combustor incorporating a feed plate, combustion plate, and radiation plate. The patent describes that the feed plate prevents flash back into the inlet stream and that the radiation plate promotes flash back into the combustion zone while protecting the combustion zone against external interference, such as from wind.
With prior art combustors low mass flow rates must be maintained to avoid a blow-out condition and to achieve acceptable fuel conversion efficiency. It would be desirable to provide a system operating under stable combustion conditions and which would also give relatively higher mass flow rates with greater efficiency and lower emissions.